Stock tank water heater



June 1, 1965 w. 5. FILE STOCK TANK WATER HEATER Filed Jan. 50, 1964 FIG.

E L H 6 M m FL l W INVENTOR.

AGENT FIG.3 gwm United States Patent 3,186,402 STOCK TANK WATER HEATER William G. File, Follett, Tex. Filed Jan. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 341,225 1 Claim. (Cl. 126360) The present invention relates to a water heating apparatus and more particularly to a water heater for relatively large quantities of water such as is contained by stock tanks.

In raising cattle in cold climates an outside watering tank and outside feeding quarters are usually used. Since the water in a stock tank is exposed to the weather, the water frequently freezes over thus depriving the stock of necessary water. Furthermore, even though the water does not freeze, because of its low temperature cattle will not drink a sufficient quantity to fully utilize the feed consumed. This decreases the value of the stock feeding operation and some provision must be made to supply water in adequate quantities at a desired palatable temperature under all weather conditions.

The prior art reveals a number of heaters for stock tanks, some of which operate satisfactorily in more temperature climates but have the common failure of becoming inoperative under severe weather conditions and are wasteful in fuel consumption.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the instant invention to provide a water heating apparatus for a stock tank which is capable of preventing ice formation in the tank and which maintains the water within a selected temperature range.

Another object is to provide a water heater of this type which will operate at a relatively low fuel cost with a minimum of attention.

Other objections to heaters of this type in which the fuel burner is thermostatically controlled are the tendency of the fuel, when suddenly released into the combustion chamber, to snuff out the pilot light; and a resistance to the desired flow of the heated gases through the combustion chamber caused by chilled air trapped therein.

Another object is to provide a heater of this type which maintains a forced draft of heated gases through the combustion chamber and eliminates choking and extinguishing the flame of the principal burner at the time a full supply of fuel is turned on.

Still another object is to provide a horizontal combustion chamber which is submerged in the water of a stock tank and which is provided with longitudinal and transversely positioned tubes for thermal conduction of water therethrough.

A further object is to provide a device of this type which is so constructed and arranged that a maximum amount of heat will be transferred to the water at the lowest or coldest portion of the water within the tank.

Yet another object is to provide a heater of this type which features an improved burner arrangement for the fuel and includes downdraft deflectors for the exhaust fumes and air intake thus preventing sudden gusts of air entering the heater and extinguishing the flame or interrupting the desired velocity and direction of flow of the heated gases.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing a horizontally disposed combustion chamber having upright tubular members connected thereto forming an exhaust stack and air inlet for the chamber. Fuel burning means are positioned at one end of the combustion chamber while thermal conduction tubes extended through the combustion chamber circulate the water to heat the latter.

Other objects will be apparent from the following de- "ice scription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the device in operative position within a fragment of a stock tank;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and,

IGURES 3 and 4 are vertical cross-sectional views taken substantially along the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates a fragment of a conventional stock tank having a vertical wall 12 and a horizontal bottom portion 14. The tank is normally maintained filled to a desired level of water 16 from a source, not shown.

The numeral 20 indicates the device, as a whole, which is formed of relatively thick walled tubular members of a selected size, weight and length and is substantially U-shaped, in general configuration, having a bight portion forming a horizontal combustion chamber 22 with one vertically disposed leg portion of the U-shape forming an exhaust or vent 24. The other leg portion of the U-shape forms an air inlet chamber 26. Diametrically the air inlet 26 is preferably substantially greater than the diameter of the combustion chamber 22 and vent 24. The inlet 26 preferably extends upwardly above the horizontal plane defined by the upper limit of the tank wall 12. The exhaust or vent 24 preferably terminates at a selected height above a horizontal plane defined by the upper limit of the inlet 26.

The device 20 is positioned within the tank and is supported in spaced relation with respect to the tank bottom 14 by vertically adjustable leg members 28 se cured to its respective end portions. A C-clamp 30, secured to the outer wall surface of the air inlet 26, fastens the device to the tank wall 12. The downwardly disposed end of the air inlet 26 is closed by a plate 27 which supports a fuel and air mixing chamber 32.

The mixing chamber 32 comprises a circular wall 34 closed by a top 36 having apertures therethrough. The depending edge of the mixing chamber wall 34 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 38 for admitting air. A secondary open ended combustion tube 40 is positioned on the upper surface of the mixing chamber plate 36 in substantially coaxial alignment with the chamber 22. A conventional thermostatic valve 42, having a temperature sensing bulb 43, is supported by the upwardly disposed end of the air inlet 26 and is connected with a source of fuel F, under pressure, by a line 44. A main supply line 46, connected with the fuel supply through the thermostat 42, extends into the combustion tube 40 while a secondary fuel supply line 48 similarly extends into the combustion tube 40 for the purposes which will presently be explained.

A pilot light fuel supply line 50 extends into and terminates in depending relation below a central opening 37 in the mixing chamber plate 36. The secondary fuel supply 48 continuously releases a limited quantity of fuel which burns and maintains a forced draft of air downwardly through the air inlet 26 and a stream of heated gases horizontally through the chamber 22 and upwardly through the exhaust chamber 24, as shown by the direction arrows. The upwardly open end of the inlet pipe 26 is covered by a downwardly open cylindrical deflector 52, which is diametrically substantially greater than the diameter of the inlet 26, so that air will be drawn upwardly and downwardly, into the inlet 26, as shown by the arrow 54. The upwardly disposed end portion of the exhaust 2.4, above the level of the water 16, may be formed of relativelythin walled pipe, if desired. The upper end of the exhaust is closed, as at 56 and is provided, at its upper end portion' with at least one conventional type Vent cap 58; The vent 58 includes a vertical wall 60 surrounding the periphery of the exhaust 24 in spaced relation. The wallof the exhaust is provided with a plurality of outlet ports or apertures 62 positioned inter= mediate the vertical height of the vent cap wall 69.

A thermal conduction tube 70 extends horizontally through the chamber 22 adjacent its upper inner surface and is connected, at one end, to the wall forming the chamber 22 adjacent that end connected with the air inlet 26 in communication with the water 16 within the tank. The other end of the tube 78 is extended upwardly through the exhaust member 24 to a point above the normal level'of the water 16 where the tube 7% is turned outwardly through the wall of the exhaust 24, as M72, and terminates in a downwardly disposed direction. The chamber 22 is further provided with a plurality of iongitudinally spaced-apart transverse thermal fluid conducting tubes 74 below the tube 79. The tubes 74 are open at both ends and extend through the opposing sides of the chamber 22. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tubes 74 are angularly inclined with respect to the horizontal surface of the tank bottom 14.

Operation:

In operation the device Ztl is installed within a water tank as described hereinabove. The fuel supplied by the pilot line 50 is ignited and the fuel from the secondary fuel supply 48 is regulated to continuously burn and create a desired forced draft. The thermostat 42 is manually set to operate between a selected water temperature range. When the selected minimum temperature is reached the thermostat 42 supplies fuel to the main supply line 46. Fuel from the line 46 is ignited by the existing flame and creates a stream of fast moving heated gases through the horizontal chamber 22 and upwardly through the exhaust member 24. Cold water enters the open end of the thermal tube 70 and, when suflicient quantity of heat is transferred to the water therein, creates a circulation of the water wherein in the hot water is exhausted through the upper end portion 72 of the thermal tube. The flow of Water through the thermal tube 70 is intermittent, rather than continuous, occuring only when the temperature'of the water within the tube approaches or reaches the pointof vaporization and generates sufiicient pressure to lift the column of water within the vertical portion of the tube 70 within the exhaust '24. The transfer of heat from the stream of heated gases in the combustion chamber to the water contained by the transverse tubes 72 similarly creates a movement of water -therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described'herein, further than I am limited by-the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A water heater for a stock tank containing water to be heated; a U-shaped tubular member having the bight portion thereof forming a horizontally disposed heat transfer and combustion chamber submerged in said tank adjacent the lower limit of the water, one leg of said U- shape member forming an exhaust for products of coinbustion, the other leg of said U-shaped member forming an air inlet for mixing air with fuel; a tubular burner positioned at the depending end of said air inlet leg in coaxial alignment with and spaced above the plane of the lowermost inner surface of said heat transfer and combustion chamber; a first tubular member extending longitudinally within said combustion chamber and said exhaust, said first tubular member communicating with the water in said tank at one end through the wall of said combustion chamber adjacent said air inlet and projecting outwardly at its other end through the wall of said exhaust above the level of the water in said tank; a plurality of other tubular members extending transversely and angularly upward through said combustion chamber in parallel spaced relation forming water passageways; a source of fuel under pressure; and fuel line means connecting said source of fuel with said burner.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 398,052 2/89 Keir 126367 414,939 11/89 Butterfield 126-360 1,279,934 9/ 18 Subby 126-367 1,408,680 3/22 Barrett 126-367 1,700,285 1/29 Dibbern 126-367 2,698,616 1/55 Kudobe 12636 0 2,716,977 9/55 Loyles et al. 126-360 3,062,201 11/62 Kudobe 126360 JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. ROBERT A. DUA, Examiner. 

